3Dconnexion has begun selling the SpacePilot PRO, a mouse the company is considering its newest flagship. The device is designed explicitly with engineering tasks in mind, and revolves around a "cap" controller, which can be tilted, rotated or pushed in order to navigate through 3D environments. Separating the PRO from other 3Dconnexion mice is the LCD Workflow Assistant, a color display that by default lets users browse key assignments for different programs, or view calendars and e-mail from Outlook. The Assistant's software can be customized for varying purposes.

Also present on the mouse are five new dual-function navigation buttons, assigned to switching between stock views, and five dual-function "intelligent" buttons, meant for commands common to a particular app. In front of the controls is a curved wrist rest, designed to minimize the amount of hand and arm motion needed.

The SpacePilot PRO is listed at $499, and currently compatible with Windows XP or Vista, Solaris 8 or 10, and the SuSE 9.3 or Redhat Enterprise WS 4 distributions of Linux.